Page 120 of Vengeance and Vipers

Her eyes don’t stay on mine for too long. Instead, they bounce around the room.

‘Looking for someone?’ I ask.

She shakes her head. ‘No, I don’t know any of your guests,’ she says.

I stifle a grin as I pretend not to hear the ‘thankfully’ she whispers at the end, and grab her a glass of Champagne from a tray. As I hand it to her, she takes it with murmured thanks, and her fingers brush against mine. She starts and visibly shivers. I almost do as well.

This happened before, and I thought it was her doing, but she looks uneasy. In fact, she’s made so sure that we haven’t touched since then that I wonder if it shocked her as much as it shocked me. I stand close, and I run a finger down her arm. It’s like a flame igniting in my body and in my loins. My eyes roll back in my head behind my mask.

‘Come with me,’ I say.

‘But I just got here,’ she murmurs breathlessly.

She still follows me as I take her into the library, though.

I close the door and lock it. Then, I press a button on the wall by my safe. All the windows leading to the garden frost over, giving us some privacy.

‘I’d have your answer,’ I growl, feeling on edge and a little bit out of control.

‘You could have asked me that out here,’ she says quietly.

‘Your answer, darling,’ I grind out.

She gestures to my desk. ‘I signed it.’

I almost breathe out a sigh of relief. It must be because Krase’s sanity is safe now. I lock up everything I was feeling, confident that she’s ours now.

‘Turn around,’ I command her softly.

She gives me a puzzled look but does as I say, and I put a necklace on her, clasping it at her throat. It’s chunky and golden with ruby-colored stones in it that match her dress.

She looks at herself in the gilt mirror over the mantle, and her eyes meet mine in the reflection.

‘Thank you,’ she murmurs.

‘It’s not worth anything,’ I mutter. ‘It’s for appearances’ sake.’

I chuckle, knowing I’m being a cad but needing her to know her place here from the very beginning. ‘As if I’d trust you with anything valuable.’

I see some of the spark in her eyes dim, but then she adjusts the necklace slightly and turns around to look me in the eye.

‘You’re finally learning, Julian. Good for you!’

With that, she goes to the door, unlocks it, and slips from the room.

It takes everything in me not to call her back and apologize.

This is how it needs to be with her. We’ll keep her for Krase’s sake, but she needs to stay at arm’s length. She’s an employee. Nothing more.

* * *

JULES

I whip a drink off a tray going past me and sip it slowly. I’m not getting drunk tonight, regardless of how I’m feeling, because I’m not an idiot, but I’d love to right now. I finger the necklace Maddox gave me and wonder what that was all about. I knew it was fake as soon as he put it on me. Doesn’t have the weight of real gold. That didn’t hurt, but his words to me definitely had the desired effect.

I find myself needing another drink and make an effort to pace myself.

At the end of the day, this might be a civilized event, but every one of these assholes is a supe, a rich, entitled one, and nothing good ever comes from a human losing their faculties around a bunch of supes.